Overview
Reverse DNS Lookup works by querying the PTR record for an IP address to find its associated hostname. This is useful for identifying servers, verifying email sender authenticity, and network troubleshooting.
Endpoint
One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/reversednslookup?ip=8.8.8.8" \
-H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/reversednslookup?ip=8.8.8.8', {
headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/reversednslookup?ip=8.8.8.8",
headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()["data"])package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
)
func main() {
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/reversednslookup?ip=8.8.8.8", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")
res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer res.Body.Close()
out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(out))
}Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.
Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Parameters
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
ipRequired | string | The IP address to lookup (IPv4 or IPv6) ip |
Response
Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"ip": "8.8.8.8",
"hostname": "dns.google",
"ptr": [
"dns.google"
],
"found": true
}
}Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
ip | string | "8.8.8.8" | The IP address that was queried |
hostname | string | "dns.google" | Hostname associated with the IP address |
ptr | array | [dns.google] | All PTR hostnames resolved for the IP address |
found | boolean | true | Whether a PTR record was found |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted | A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart; see rate limits. |
Use cases
- Email Verification
- Verify email sender authenticity by checking if the sending IP has a valid reverse DNS entry matching the sender domain
- Server Identification
- Identify what server or service is running on an IP address by looking up its hostname
- Network Troubleshooting
- Diagnose network issues by verifying that IP addresses resolve to expected hostnames
- Security Analysis
- Investigate suspicious IPs by discovering their associated hostnames and infrastructure
Other ways to use Reverse DNS Lookup
Set up Reverse DNS Lookup on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Related
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